Bike for Cancer supports local memorial fund

Friday

KINGSTON — The sixth annual Bike for Cancer Care to benefit the Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund will be held at 8 a.m. Sept. 20.

KINGSTON — The sixth annual Bike for Cancer Care to benefit the Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund will be held at 8 a.m. Sept. 20.

The event will start and finish at Ulster Savings Bank on Schwenk Drive in Kingston. It features a five-mile family ride and a 25- and 50-mile ride throughout Ulster County.

Riders and volunteers will enjoy breakfast, fully supported rest stops, a barbecue lunch and ice cream at the end of the ride donated by Hannaford Supermarkets and Gillette Creamery. Prizes and awards will be given to the top fundraisers.

The Rosemary D. Gruner Memorial Cancer Fund, in partnership with the Thomas A. Dee Cancer Center at Benedictine Hospital and the Benedictine Health Foundation, provides financial assistance to cancer patients undergoing treatment in Ulster County who are in financial need. The fund provides for products and services not covered by medical insurance, such as nutritional products, prostheses, and gift cards to purchase groceries and gas.

"On July 28th of last year, I was diagnosed with lung cancer," said Al Hackbarth of Hurley. "I had just started a new job and was not yet eligible for benefits. Shortly after my diagnosis, I was forced to take leave from my employment. Everywhere I turned for help, I ran into a roadblock until I found the Rosemary D. Gruner Fund.

"Always being an independent person, asking for help does not come easy for me," he said. "When the envelope arrived with gas and grocery cards, I felt as though I was getting my independence back. I was able to purchase so many items that people often take for granted. The Gruner Fund opened my eyes and renewed my faith in our society. It brought me comfort and allowed me to focus on my healing. To receive a 'gift' from people who don't even know me has touched me deeply."

For further information on the Bike for Cancer Care, visit www.bikeforcancer.org, or call the Benedictine Health Foundation at 334-3017 or Dan Gruner at 417-1865.

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